Archie had been a stray, and when I met him at the shelter, he was a timid little guy. Once I took him home, it didn’t take him long to warm up to me. Because I work out of my home, I’m around all the time, and he follows me everywhere.

Here’s a picture of Archie sitting in his office chair, which is right next to mine. He is the funniest little guy — very clever. He’s fun to play with. He’s very good at tug of war. He’s great at fetch, and he learned the meaning of “come” very quickly.

He also knows exactly what to do to get my attention. For example, as soon as the phone rings, Archie tries to get into the trash. I guess what I’m trying to say is, this shy little guy turned out to be quite a character. He’s ALMOST perfect.

I say almost perfect because all this personality is lost on my husband
Ed. Archie barks every day when Ed comes home. You can almost hear him saying, “Ed, I’ve got a good thing going here, you better not ruin
it.” Once Archie stops barking, he hides behind me, or in the bathroom.
Ed patiently goes through the process of trying the ease Archie’s
anxiety. He drops Archie’s favorite treats on the floor (anything with
cheese in it). Slowly but surely, Archie will move close enough to
grab a treat, or let Ed pet him. But Archie never looks comfortable. If
I’m not in the house, Archie will hide behind the couch until I get
home, and then give me the “How could you ever leave me with HIM?” song
and dance, whining and jumping and making me feel guilty.

Ed has
been very patient. He would very much like to spend time with Archie and
have Archie take walks with him or sit on his lap. I was hoping
someone might comment on my entry and give some suggestions that might
help Ed build Archie’s trust.